


feels like a personal attack

by Steph2002



Series: DNF shorts [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Feelings Realization, How Do I Tag, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Smut, Pining, They Are Idiots, Two Shot, a reddit post inspired this, no beta we die like george in manhunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28556856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steph2002/pseuds/Steph2002
Summary: George is in love with his best friend. When said friend texts him a link to a Reddit post at 3AM, maybe something will finally come of it.---Dream has known he's loved George for a long time. He didn't think sending him a random Reddit post would be how it was revealed.---Or: they are idiots and Reddit somehow helps.This was inspired by a real Reddit post. I will link it in the notes.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: DNF shorts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179341
Comments: 2
Kudos: 196





	1. George's POV

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this when I saw a Reddit post with a top comment that just felt like it fit DNF very well. The post is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/bisexual/comments/kq61o1/feels_like_a_personal_attack/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
> 
> Also, I'm only writing this because both Dream and George have said they don't care. If either of them ever changes their mind, I will take this down. I would also appreciate if you didn't share this with the CC's either. I'm not prepared to handle that.

George couldn't sleep again. This has been happening a lot recently, but he didn't like to think about why. It might just be the heat of the British summer, or maybe it had to do with the realisation he had a few weeks ago regarding his best friend.

His best friend. Clay. Who he fell in love with, despite telling himself there was no way that would ever happen. It's not that George was shocked that he fell for a guy. He's known he was bisexual for as long as he could remember. But of all the people on the planet he could fall in love with, it had to be Clay.

George sighed heavily and pulled out his phone. If he wasn't going to be getting to sleep anytime soon, he might as well distract himself from his overflowing heart. Pulling open twitter, he liked a few of his friends' tweets, typing out a quick reply here and there, before closing the app again. He was still wide awake, but there wasn't much else he could do about that. Putting his phone back away, George closed his eyes and tried desperately not to think about how much he longed to fall asleep in Clay's arms.

* * *

The next morning, George was still tired, but he had promised Clay and Nick they would record a video for the latter's channel. He couldn't back out now, despite his growing headache caused by his lack of sleep. He groaned as he got dressed and booted up his PC, knowing his friends would likely be able to tell he wasn't feeling good but willing to push through anyway. Besides, no matter how much his heart would ache later, getting to spend time with Clay was always worth it.

So as he joined the TeamSpeak with a small "hey, guys!" George wasn't surprised that Clay was the first to notice something was up. "Dude, are you okay? You sound like crap." Clay eloquently stated. George almost laughed at his best friend's bluntness, but instead simply said "Yeah, just didn't sleep too well. I'll be fine though." Clay hummed thoughtfully, but luckily Nick directed the conversation back to the plugin they had coded for the video. And for the next few hours, George forgot about his problems as he simply enjoyed playing his favorite game with his two best friends, even if he did die a little every time Clay jokingly flirted with him.

* * *

George was getting sick of not being able to sleep. A part of him wished he had never fallen for Clay, that these feelings would just go away. But he was stuck with them now.

As it turns out, being in love with your best friend sucked. George was never very good at telling the difference between platonic and romantic love, which was why he was able to convince himself for so long that he didn't want Clay as anything more than what they had. But now that he realised his love for Clay ran deeper, George was utterly screwed. He couldn't stop thinking about the Floridian, and it was driving him crazy.

Hence why, for the third night in a row, he was pulling open his phone at 3AM, hoping to distract himself from his feelings. As he was scrolling through Twitter, he received a text notification. Surprised, he saw a new message from Clay.

**Dreamie:** _lol this reminded me of that one conversation we had a while ago._

Attached to the message was a link to a Reddit post on r/bisexual. George didn't use Reddit too much, but he knew Clay did. He also had known for a long time that Clay was bisexual as well. The two had a long discussion about their sexuality and how they experience love about 7 months ago, and that was evidently the conversation Clay had been referring to based on the content of the post. It was a meme format of a woman pointing at the camera, as if pointing directly at the person viewing the image, holding an obviously edited sign that read "Look it's the person that doesn't understand the difference between platonic and romantic feelings." The caption read "feels like a personal attack." 

George felt his heart stutter. Surely Clay didn't know about his newly realised feelings right? Swallowing nervously, George's eyes landed on the top comment, and he felt his breath leave him entirely. "Loophole: date your (also bisexual) best friend." He didn't know why Clay felt the need to send this to him, but it was causing a flurry of emotions that he didn't have the time to unpack. George kept reading that comment over and over again. Did Clay know it was there before he sent the post? Or was it just a coincidence that the top comment said what it did?

George's mind was racing, trying to figure out what Clay did and didn't know about his feelings for the younger man, whether Clay had seen that comment before sending the post, and most importantly what it could mean if he had. Realising Clay has probably seen him read the text, he shot back a quick "haha any truers?" message to appease Clay. With his mind still racing, he set down his phone, but he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep that night.

* * *

George was streaming, and for the first time, he deeply understood why Clay refused to use facecam. Every other dono was asking if he was okay, saying he looked sick and he should rest if he wasn't feeling well. George wasn't sick, but he didn't get a minute of sleep the night prior due to Clay's message. He reassured his chat, saying he felt fine, but deep down his heart was still twisted up in confusion. He knew the post probably didn't mean anything to Clay beyond a joke between friends, but he couldn't stop thinking about the top comment. "Date your (also bisexual) best friend." God, did George want to do that. But he refused to risk his friendship with Clay over something that was most likely unrequited love. After all, just because Clay likes guys, doesn't mean he likes George.

As if the world wanted to laugh at George's confused thoughts, Clay decided that moment was the perfect time to join the TeamSpeak George was sitting it. "Your chat is right," he said. "You do look like shit. Have you been sleeping enough?" Despite the joking tone put forth for the fans, George sensed a genuine undertone of concern and felt his heart lighten. Clay really did care about him, even if it wasn't in the way George dreamed about. "Yeah I'm fine," George lied, trying to keep up appearances for the stream. "You're just jealous because I still look better than you on my worst days." Clay let out a wheezing laugh at that and immediately jabbed back with "As if! I'm 6'3" that automatically makes me more attractive." George just shook his head and rolled his eyes at his camera, knowing Clay has likely opened his stream and was watching. "Whatever you say, Dream boy." George snarked, and the two fell into their easy banter for the rest of the stream.

* * *

When George ended 2 hours later, they remained in the call. "Seriously, George, is everything okay? You really do look tired, and I know you texted me at, like, almost 4AM for you last night." George sighed. He didn't want to tell Clay that he was the reason he couldn't sleep, but maybe getting it off his chest would help....

"Well, it's just, there's this guy. And I've been thinking about him a lot lately," George began. "We've been friends for a while, and a few weeks ago I guess I just realised that my feelings for him were deeper than that. And then when you sent that post last night, I couldn't sleep, because, well, yeah. That exact thing is basically what I've been experiencing for the past 6 months or so until I realised it."

There was a short silence on the call as Clay processed what George had said. The British man could only hope the Floridian didn't read the deeper meaning behind his words, only pray he didn't notice that he was the object of George's affection. Eventually, Clay said "Do I know him?" If George didn't know better he would almost say Clay sounded hurt. But that couldn't be it right? George hummed in affirmation to Clay's question before quickly adding "But I don't want to say anything to him. About my feelings I mean." As if it wasn't too late for that. "Like, I don't want to risk my friendship with him. He's too important to me to risk losing."

George heard Clay take a sharp inhale and froze. There's no way he figured it out based on those few sentences alone. So George was both relieved and greatly amused when Clay said "I think you and Nick would be an adorable couple, George." The amusement won out as George began giggling, which turned into full-blown laughter shortly thereafter. After regaining some control over his breathing, George managed to get out "You think- you think I'm in love with _Sapitus?_ Really?" He began laughing again, this time joined by a few confused chuckles from Clay. "Well yeah?" The Floridian started. "Who else? You just said it's someone I know, who's incredibly important to you, that you've been friends with for years. Nick is like, the only one that fits that description. Unless...." 

As Clay trailed off in thought, George froze. He fucked up. He didn't think about how few people fit the description he gave Clay. Clay and Nick were the only two. And with how he reacted to the suggestion of him dating Nick, George knew he had to have realised. So before Clay could say anything else, George took a chance.

"Did you read the top comment on the post you sent me?" He whispered, suddenly serious. Clay whispered back, just as serious "Of course I did. I was hoping you would too I just didn't think you would want to take it seriously." George took a deep breathe before asking the question he needed the answer to. "Did you? Take it seriously? Is that why you sent it to me?"

The pause that followed nearly killed George. He knew that no matter what Clay's answer was, there would be no going back from this conversation. So when Clay uttered a "yes" so quiet George nearly missed it, he couldn't help but smile. "Clay. Clay, oh my god, we're idiots." He laughed at himself, and at his best friend - boyfriend? - before talking a deep breath and saying the words Clay has been trying to coax put of him for years. "I love you. Platonically... and romantically. You're still my best friend, but somewhere along the way I fell for you."

And all the nerves were worth it when he heard Clay say back "I love you too, Georgie. So, so much."


	2. Clay's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Dream's POV of the story. This took a little bit because of school starting again.
> 
> Also, just to reiterate, if George or Dream ever say they are uncomfortable with this kind of content I will remove it. Please respect CC's boundaries and do not force things on them! :)

Being in love with your best friend is hard. That's something Clay knows all too well. When he has an audience, it's easy to slip into his Dream persona, and pretend the flirting and borderline lovestruck comments are all for the bit. _Dream's_ heart doesn't race when his best friend laughs, or when he flirts back, playfully shy. But _Clay's_ heart? That's a different story.

Clay tries not to think about George. He really does. But Clay, off camera, isn't Dream. He's just a regular guy who happens to be in love, and love takes its toll on the heart. So sometimes, instead, Clay will let himself think about George, and pretend his flirting is real. After today's recording session, Clay lets himself do just that. All the quips and teasing remarks George made that afternoon float through his head and he smiles lightly.

The smile quickly turns to a frown though as Clay remembers how off George had seemed. He sounded tired. Before he could get carried away with worry though, Patches hopped up onto his lap, meowing for attention. His sweet girl always knew when Clay needed hugs, and he loved her for it.

* * *

Two nights later, Clay found himself unable to sleep. His mind was racing, and honestly he couldn't tell you why. Instead of laying awake aimlessly, Clay decided to open Reddit for a bit of aimless scrolling to try to calm his thoughts. He was succeeding in his mission until he came across a meme that brought his mind back to the one thing that was always in his thoughts these days: George.

The post was quite simple. A woman pointing at the camera with a sign reading "Look it's the person that doesn't understand the difference between romantic and platonic feelings." Clay himself had always had a good grasp on the difference, but it brought his mind back to a conversation he had with his best friend several months back. After coming out to each other as bisexual, Clay and George had talked for a long time about love. That's how Clay learned that George, being the emotionally repressed British man he is, had always struggled to tell if what he was feeling was platonic or romantic love. It's why he was so hesitant to say the words "I love you" to his friends, worried the words would carry more weight than he intended.

So could you blame Clay when he tapped on the post, wanting to scroll through the comments to see what other people who struggled with this were saying? If you were to ask Clay to explain himself, he would tell you it was for research purposes only, and he just wanted to be a good best friend to George. It absolutely had nothing to do with the fact that some optimistic part of him hoped there was a chance George really did love him back and just hadn't realised yet, and that perhaps this post held answers. That tiny part of him grew louder in his thoughts as his eyes rested on the top comment under the post. It read "Loophole: date your (also bisexual) best friend." 

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Clay copied the link to the post and opened his messages with George. He knew it was stupid, hoping his oblivious best friend would not only open the post and see the top comment but also read the deeper meaning behind it, but Clay didn't care. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Just forward enough to imply his feelings while still being subtle enough to deny if things went awry. Pushing send on his message, Clay released a deep breath he had been holding in. Not expecting a response seeing as it was well past 3AM in England, Clay put his phone away and decided to at least try to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Clay was surprised to see George had, in fact, texted him back in the middle of the night. Less than a half hour after he had sent the link, in fact. He furrowed his eyebrows, worried about why George was up at nearly 4 in the morning. Before he could think about it too hard, though, his phone dinged with a fresh notification. "GeorgeNotFound went live! Speedrunning Minecraft :)" 

Smiling, Clay moved over to his computer, deciding to lurk in chat for a bit rather than join the stream right away. As he opened the stream, however, his previous worries came flooding back. George looked paler than usual, with dark circles under his eyes that, although not terribly noticeable, stood out under Clay's worried gaze. The chat seemed to have noticed as well, though, judging by the flood of worried messages coming through.

Quickly opening TeamSpeak, Dream found George's name is an empty call and joined. "Your chat is right," he said, trying to not sound overly concerned. "You do look like shit. Have you been sleeping enough?" Dream waited a moment before hearing George's reply. "Yeah I'm fine. You're just jealous because I still look better than you on my worst days." Clay could tell George was lying for the viewers, but he decided to let it go, resolving to make sure George was okay when the stream ended. Instead, he laughed and answered George's quip with "As if! I'm 6'3" that automatically makes me more attractive." Glancing at his second monitor with George's stream still open, Clay watched the British boy roll his eyes as he sassed back with "Whatever you say, Dream boy." And if that nickname made Clay's heart flutter in his chest, nobody ever needed to know.

* * *

As soon as George's stream ended, Clay spoke up. "Seriously, George, is everything okay? You really do look tired, and I know you texted me at, like, almost 4AM for you last night." There was a pause on the call as George seemingly took a moment to think about something. Clay waited, hoping George would be honest with him, when the older began to speak.

"Well, it's just, there's this guy. And I've been thinking about him a lot lately," George said quietly. "We've been friends for a while, and a few weeks ago I guess I just realised that my feelings for him were deeper than that. And then when you sent that post last night, I couldn't sleep, because, well, yeah. That exact thing is basically what I've been experiencing for the past 6 months or so until I realised it."

Clay couldn't decide whether he should be happy that George had found someone to love, or heartbroken that he wouldn't have the chance to be that person. Instead, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible, he asked, "Do I know him?" Maybe he could at least help his best friend get a boyfriend, even if he could never be said boyfriend. After a moment he heard George hum an affirmation, but before Clay could say anything else, George continued, "But I don't want to say anything to him. About my feelings I mean. Like, I don't want to risk my friendship with him. He's too important to me to risk losing."

He heard himself sharply inhale and prayed his microphone hadn't been able to pick it up. With this newfound information, Clay had realized exactly who George had fallen for. It made sense in a way, but it didn't hurt Clay any less. Wanting to still be supportive, he whispered, "I think you and Nick would be an adorable couple, George." There was a pause before he heard George begin to giggle on the other side of the call. This wasn't the reaction Clay had been expecting to his support. "You think- you think I'm in love with Sapitus? Really?" George got out before dissolving into laughter once again. Clay chuckled lightly in confusion and laid out his thoughts. "Well yeah? Who else? You just said it's someone I know, who's incredibly important to you, that you've been friends with for years. Nick is like, the only one that fits that description. Unless...."

Clay trailed off as his hopeful thoughts began to win out. Nick _wasn't_ the only person that fit the description George had given him. One other person did: Clay himself. His heart started beating slightly faster at the idea that George might return his feelings. Before he could say anyrhing else, though, George asked him "Did you read the top comment on the post you sent me?" 

Sensing how serious George had gotten, Clay took a breathe before whispering back "Of course I did. I was hoping you would too I just didn't think you would want to take it seriously." And it was true. Clay had wished for George to see that comment, to understand what it meant, but he didn't think it would actually happen. Yet here they were.

When George responded back quietly "Did you? Take it seriously? Is that why you sent it to me?" Clay hardly had to think of his answer. He uttered out"yes" quietly, half wishing George wouldn't hear, but knowing he couldn't lie either. It was worth it, though, when Clay heard the smile in his best friends voice when he said, "Clay. Clay, oh my god, we're idiots." The Floridian heard the musical sound of George's laughter come through the call before it quieted. And the next thing Clay knew, he was hearing words from the Brit that he had only ever dreamed of before. "I love you. Platonically... and romantically. You're still my best friend but somewhere along the way I fell for you."

Clay felt his heart soar. Even though a long distance relationship would be tough, knowing George could be his was enough for him. So with a growing smile on his face, and fondness evident in his voice, Clay finally voiced what he had been feeling for months. "I love you too, Georgie. So, so much."


End file.
